Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Muro, LCSW-S, RPT.
Hi Jennifer, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
“The first time I ever noticed Jennifer was when I was riding her bus in middle school. I didn’t know her but every day I would see her walk up to a child and give them her lunch money not because she was being forced to, but because she wanted to help.” – Cameron Muro (Jennifer’s husband)
I can remember from early childhood, helping and advocacy made up large part of my heart. In college I pursued the criminal justice field hoping to help in a policing capacity, but as graduation came closer my heart didn’t feel fulfilled. I felt a calling to be more boots on the ground in the helping field. Shortly after graduation, I decided to purse a Master in Social Work at Norfolk State University, and in short order, while in school, began working in the mental health field as an in-home counselor. Working in the field, being inviting in to families homes where I was able to be a small part of healing, helping them in times of difficulty and transitions. After 7 years in different capacities there, as well as internship experiences with Hampton City School’s Social Work Department, Juvenile Probation and Parole, South Eastern Family Project aiding young pregnant girls struggling with addiction, I found myself yearning for a better understanding of speaking the language of children. After becoming a licensed clinician, and after beginning my own family, I pursed becoming a Registered Play Therapist and making a jump to outpatient therapy. After 9 years with Genesis Counseling Center, I found myself ready for a change that would allow me to help children, women and families in a way that was least hindered by insurance red tape. One day, will sitting on a beach, my place of peace frequented often, the dream of “Shiloh” was birthed… In early 2025, Shiloh Therapy & Care was given life, a place where I hope to help families come to find a small piece of their “place of peace.”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, the journey of opening Shiloh Therapy & Care has definitely not been a straight path, and it has been full of twists and turns. The journey from being a mental health clinician to also becoming an entrepreneur and a business owner has been full of learning, with endless hours spent researching, doing, re-doing, undoing, learning and growing. Through it all, the road has been doable and possible because of the village I have surrounding me, believing in me, and supporting me whether it has been clinicians who have mentored me and/or gone before me, family members, and friends were blessed to call “family” who have shown up with belief in me, financial backing, paint rollers and “how can we help.”
We’ve been impressed with Shiloh Therapy & Care…”Lets find your place of peace, together”, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Jennifer has over 15 years of experience as an intensive in-home counselor and outpatient therapist. She is a registered play therapist and specializes in working with with children and women from a family systems perspective. She actively works with clients who experience anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, and mood dysregulation believing these are just part of a lived experience and not identifiers of an individual. She is passionate about providing a safe space where children can explore their emotions, build resilience, and thrive. She has a heart for children of divorced families, children experiencing transitions and marriage ministry. She has experience with children with self injurious behaviors, as well as and teens at risk of out of home placement.
Jennifer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist in the state of Virginia and Alabama. She obtained her Master of Social Work from Norfolk State University. She has a Bachelors of Arts in Criminal Justice from Old Dominion University.
Shiloh’s services are self-pay. We do not file with insurance companies due to the limits created when insurances become involved in treatment. It is Shiloh’s vision to impact change in your life, how you and your therapist see best. Insurance companies set limits, requirements that may not be best for you and your family, and require a mental health diagnosis, which are not always appropriate.
Because of self pay, we are able to provide you with a level of care that is not restricted to billing limits or restrictions.
What am I most proud of?
I’d have to say I’m most proud of being a play therapist. I take great pride in being able to meet a child where they are, providing them a safe space, where they feel in control. There arent many areas in a child’s life where they can feel in control, where they can maintain autonomy, where they can feel safe to explore their emotions before they are expected to verbalize them. I get to help children learn more adaptive behaviors when there are possible emotional deficits or in times of difficult transitions. The relationship I GET TO build with a client during play therapy can help promote and provide insight about inner conflicts.
“In play therapy, toys are like the child’s words and play is the child’s language” (Landreth, 2002).
Apart from working with children, I count it a true high honor to sit with women working through critical transitional times in their lives whether they are navigating serious emotional distress, difficulty in relationships, grieving, or transitions. Bearing witness to a woman who learns to find her voice, smile and be proud of herself, or use her voice to advocate for herself or others is really my favorite.
What does success mean to you?
This is success. Getting to sit in a chair alongside individuals and families while they have space to sort, heal, grieve, gain insight, advocate, regulate, gain awareness is success. Getting invited in to those most personal, raw spaces of someone else’s life and lived experiences, it doesnt get better than that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shilohtherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shilohtherapy757?stkn=MWZraDQ2c3Y1c283ZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572236661119
- Other: http://www.a4pt.org/member/JenniferMuroShilohTherapy
